Folding clothes-reel.



' PATBNTBO MAR. ze, 1901.

w.v H.` RICHMOND. FOLDING OLOTHBS REEL.

APPLIOATIVON FILED JULY 22, 1906.

WITNESSES.-

fili mulls Pcrsls co.. WAsnlNoaN. n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT4 OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26, 1907.

(Application filed July 22,1905. Serial No 270,754.

To ad w/wm t may concern.-

,Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. RICH- MOND, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Mount Pleasant, in the county of Isabellaand State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements,in Folding Clothes-Reels, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to that kind of clothes-reel which has a centralvertical post fastened in the ground upon which the reel proper forhanging the clothes on to dry is free to revolve.

The obj ect of the invention is to produce a standard reel of thischaracter which is adapted to be manufactured cheaply and shipped incompact form, a reel which is light, strong, and durable and can bereadily set up and manipulated, and which is adapted to be used in smallyards of houses, upon coops, and other confined places and which can bereadily folded when necessity requires, and which is convenient in otherways.

To accomplish all these objects, I have devised the construction morefully hereinafter described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, inwhich` Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved reel as set up.Fig. 2 is avertical central section also showing in dotted lines theositi'on of parts when folded upon the post. ig. 3 vis an elevation ofthe reel proper when folded up. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the postdetached; and Fig. 5 is a section through one of the arms, showing themanner of securing the wires thereto.

My improved clothes-reel comprises a central post A, for which I take apiece of ordinary one-and-one-fourth-inch gas-pipe about nine feet long,and in setting up the reel I bore a two-inch hole in the ground and setthe pipe in about two and one-half feet deep. Upon the upper end of thispipe I secure an ordinary pipe-coupling a, the post being. thus ofuniform diameter and without any projection throughout its whole lengthexcept the coupling at the end. Such a post is light and chea and it isby reason of my construction thatll can use such a post. 4The coupling ais an annular sleeve, screw-threaded on its interior to coperate withthe upper threaded end of the pipe A. Its upper end is provided with arounded annular bead a, which lies Hush with the top end of the pipe.The coupling thus in addition to its function of stop, presently to bereferred to, constitutes a reinforce at the top of the pipe and aiiordsan enlargement, whereby the hand of the operator will not be cut orinjured when the pipe is forced into the ground, or if a mallet is usedfor this purpose the end of the pipe will not be mashed out of shape. Itis noted that the central support for the reel consists only of thehollow pipe A and that the lower end of this pipe is openha structurewhich, besides its advantage of simplicity, possesses the furtheradvantage of being readily driven into the ground.

The reel proper consists of two metal hubs B B', each formed with fourpairs of ears, to

which the inner ends of the four arms C and of the four braces C/ arepivotally secured.

Themetal hubs are loosely mounted upon metal sleeves D D@ which in turnare loose upon the post A. These sleeves are at one end each formed witha collar e, which forms a bearing for the hub, and the other end, whichi projects some distance beyond the hub, is formed with a screw-threadedhole, which for the upper sleeve receives a set-screw E', preferably athumb-screw, for turning it by hand, and for the lower sleeve itreceives a setscrew E,V and this set-screw enters a screwthreaded holein the post, which is suitably tapped to receive this screw.

The coupling a constitutes a removable annular stop which when inposition effectually prevents the sleeve D from being slipped up overthe end of the pipe A.

The braces C are pivotally connected to the arms at such distance fromthe outer ends thereof so that they maintain the arms in a horizontalplane and so that the weight of the clothes hung upon the cables F,which are fastened t0 the arms, will give the inner ends of the arms atendency to bear against the collar of the upper sleeve, while thecollar of the lower sleeve, which is below the hub, supports and bearsthe whole weight of the reel.

It will be seen that the lower hub B in the operative position of thereel is supported upon the post almost at the ground, preferably onlyabout siX inches above it, there being a hole in the post for theset-screw E to engage in. Thus if the braces were prolonged downwardlythey would intersect each other at the ground. Each arm, with its braceand the post, thus form, in effect, a triangular truss, and all theweight and strain is borne at the bottom of the post, which eX- IOO.

plains Why I can support my reel on a oneand-one-fourth-ineh gas-pipeagainst any possible strain either caused. by high wind or by a heavyloadupon the reel. Another laetor which gives my reel its stillness andstrength is that l tie the arms as solidly together and to the hub asthe spokes ol a Wagon-Wheel by having the wire or Cables suitablystrained upon the arms. l use for this purpose specially-prepared wireeable ol' the necessary pliability for folding the reel, and inconnection therewith l use hook-staples G, las shown in Fig. 5 indetail. I lirst drive these staples into the arms just to the depthrequired to permit the cable to be inserted into the open end ot thehook, holes being first bored into the arms to receive t he staples.Then with the arms extended imo a horizontal plane (or nearly so) lstrain the cables to the arms, and after this is done l drive thestaples home till they eleneh the Cable fast. The outermost cable lpreforably seeure in the same manner to 'the extreme end of the arms, Bysecuring the ea- Ables in this manner the reel when extended is quitestiil and strong, and it can be oonstrueted of light wood, it beingsul'lieient to use one-and-one-eighth by two-andameeighth inch stuli`Jfor the arms and braees, the arms being about nine feet long and thebraces seven feet. This gives ample height above ground .with about onehundred and seventy feet of cable for hanging up the Clothes, making thereel handy and convenient to operate, as even with clothes hanging onthereel it can be at least partly 'folded by loosening the set-screw Eand lowering the upper hub, thereby permitting the passage of vehiclesin narrow passages or yards, and when not in use the reel can beeompletely folded, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

`While the post or pipe A may be so positioned that the sleeve D will beslightly above the surfaee of the ground, it will be apparent that withlevel ground the pipe may be driven clear down, with the eollar orHarige e of the sleeve D in Contact with the earth. The flange e willthus constitute a stop to limit the extent to which the post is foreedinto the ground in addition to serving as a support for the hub B, orshould the drier be set up in soft ground and the weight ol the clothesCause the pipe A to settle then the collar e will come into playetlieetually to prevent undue settling and the ears ol the hub frombeeoming loreed into the ground. The Collar or llange e is orappreeiable width, and depth, so that it is e pablo ol allordingoonsiderable support to the su perstruetnre and eileetual ysliaees thehub B lrom the ground. From the manulaeturei"s point ol view my reelpresents wirious advanl ages. lt is ol simple. eonstruetion, and theparts are readily assembled, being put 'loger her by ordinaryeairiage-lwlts exeept as to the pivotal oonneelions oi" the arms withihe hub, lor whieh l use so-eallef "tire-bells lor the purpose olallrwfing ear-h braee io told in parallelism with Vthe arm 'to whieh Vitis eonne a1ed, as shown in Fig. and by tying cord around it it ran bemade up into a. ligln'` and eompaoi bundle lor shipping it. ln 'thuspreparing il Lrew l@ is loosened, and

lor shipment` 'the sei the post is shoved inlo Athe bundle and wholhveoneealed within it.

Having ihus lul V :leseribed my invention` what l elaim isi ln aeloihes-:lrie the rombination ol a central upright support eonsislingsolely ol a length ol metal pipe ol: unilorm diameter and adapte/,l tobe readily driven into the ground, said pipe being provided at irs upperend with serew-zhreads and at a point remote from said end with athreaded aperlure, an iniernalijf-threaded annulus sere/wed upon thethreads oly the pipe, an upper and a lower sleeve inounji ed on and slidable the lull length ol the eentral support, the upper sleeve beingprovided ai, ils upper end with an annular [lange designed lo abutagainst the threaded annulus, and the lower sleeve being provided at itslower end willi an annular llange, upper and lower hubs rotalablysupported on the sleeves and arranged lo abut against the annularlai'iges thereon, eloihes-supporting arms pivoted to the upper hub,braees pivoted at their lower ends to the lower hub and at their upperends intermediately to the arms, and set-screws passing through thesleeves, the lower set-serew being designed, when the arms are extended,to take into the threaded aperture in the eentV `al pipe.

ln. testimony whereol l allix my signature in presence ol two witnesses.

lYllililAiNl ll. lllCllUONl). Vfitnesses l?. ll. Donns, G. M. BaLnwiN.

